Car-door-latching device



May 3 1927,

1,626,834 G. A. Hum.

CAR DOOR LATCHI NG DEVICE Filed Dec. 11, 1924 Georye A. 1714!! WM MM,

. aw/4111i mew I W G. A. HULL CAR DOOR LATCHING DEVICE May 3, 1 927. 1,626,834

Filed Dec. 11. ,1924 2 shuts-sheet 2 H I MI 49 Mum We Gear a6 A. Hall I a I 77/CLWV /Q Zfl Patented May 3, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. .HULL, OFCHIGAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T EQUIPMENT SPECIALTIES CQ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CAR-DOOR-LATCHIN G DEVICE.

Application filed December 11, 1924. Scrial No. 755,204.

The present invention relates to car door latching devices, having particular application to the side doors of retrigerator'cars.

There is a great tendency for, these re- 5 frigerator car side doors to latch -or fasten with difficulty at their upp er edges. A number of factors account for this. Heretofore, car door latching devices have operated upon the principle of applying torsion to one or more latching bars in forcing the outer door closed. In order that the operating lever for these bar; can be at a convenient height for operation, it is generally placed near the lower edge of the door, which leaves a relatively long length of latching bar between the operating lever and the latching cam at the upper edge of the door. It is in this long length of bar that the undesirable torsional flexure occurs, whereby the efiort efi'ective at the upper edge ofthe door for closing the same is greatly reduced. This difliculty of latching the upper edge of the door is also aggravated by the fact that the natural sag of the door and the outward hang of the upper edge will often make this edge more diificult to close than the lower edge. Also, this upper edge is generally inaccessible to the reach of the loader or attendant so that he cannot push against it in an effort to force it closed. Another factor tending to make these refrigerator car doors difiicult to close is the use of spring pressed insulating strips along the margins of the door opening, which insulating strips must be compressed in closing the door.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to rovide a car door latching device which Wlll latch both-edges of the door with greater ease and certainty, and

which will avoid the objections incident in the torsional flexure of the latching bar or bars.

Realizing that the torsional strength of the latching bar cannot be relied upon to complete the closing movement of the door, I have devised a latching mechanism utilizth% latching bar or bars in overcoming the final resistance to latching. Thus, I use the compression strength of the latching bars, which is much greater than their torsional strength.

By virtue of movement of the latching bars, I am 'en a longitudinal thrusting movement of 7 this longitudinal thrusting I abled to utilize an arrangement of toggle pivots and toggle lever, whereby an increased locking pressure can be applied to the ends of the latching bars in completing "the latching operation. The mechanical adtoggle arrangement serves automatically to bias or lock the operating lever in its position of complete latching, so that there is no pressure tending to swing the lever to unlatching position. Also, the final move ment of the operating lever is in the nature of a pull, in which a more effective purchase can be obtained than is possible when pushing the lever up against the car door.

By using two latching bars having endwise thrusting movement in opposite directions, I secure the advantage of a floating abutment for the lower end of the latching bar combination to the end of obtaining a more effective looking at the upper edge of the door. Thatis to say, when. the lower latching bar comes to rest in the lower keeper, this forms a point of abutment for the lower end of the pair of bars, and substantially all of the remaining movement of the operating lever. reacting from this lower point of abutment, is thereafter utilized in thrusting the up or end of the upper latching bar against t e cam surface of the upper keeper.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevational-view of a typical refrigerator car side door to which my invention has been applied, the two sections of the door being shown in closed position;

Figure 5 is a erspective illustrating the 1 lower bar and its eeper; and

Figure 6 is a sectional View taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

In Figure 1 I have shown a typical twosection door for a refrigerator car. My invention is applicable to a single door or a two-section door, but I have shown the same in connection with the latter, as this is the conventional construction for the side doors of refrigerator cars.

The two doors or door sections 8 and 9'- are hinged to the vertical jamb members 11 through hinges 12, and each door preferably has its top, bottom and outer edges beveled for seating on corresponding beveled surfaces around the edges of the doorway. The two doors preferably meet in a bevel overlap, the right-hand door 8 generally being the outer door for closing last over the lefthand door 9.

The latch mechanism is all mounted on the outer door 8 and comprises a latching bar combination consisting of an upper looking bar 15 and a lower latching bar 16. The upper locking bar is guided in two spaced guides 17 and 18 and the lower latching bar is guided in the single bottom guide 19, these guides being bolted or otherwise secured to the door 8 adjacent its free edge. The longitudinal thrusting movements imparted to the two latching bars result from motion of an operating lever 21 which is pivoted toboth bars. Pivot 22 joins the upper latching bar to lever 21, and pivot 23 joins the lower latching bar to lever 21. These two pivots are spaced along the lever 21 only sufficiently far apart to give the desired throw to both latching bars to insure ,ample camming pressure in their keepers; it being apparent that the closer the spacing between the pivots the greater the mechanical advantage of the toggle action. The adjacent ends of the latching bars are extended beyond the pivots to bringthe opposing bevels 24 on these ends into engagement when the lever 21 has moved into or slightly beyond dead center. This automatically locks or holds the operating lever and locking bars in this latching position.

The upper latching bar has a snug sliding fit in the upper guides 17 and 18 for re ciprocation along a rectilinear line, while the lower latching bar must have sufficient lateral play in its guide 19 to permit lateral swinging of this bar when the operating lever 21 occupies the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. Both latching bars must also be rotatable in their guides.

The ends of the latching bars project beyond the edges of the door and have laterally turned toe portions 25 which are adapted to engage in keepers 26. Both keepers are constructed as unitary castings, each comprising a base plate 27 which is bolted or screwed to its respective rail 2829. Projecting from each base plate is an integral strap portion in the form of an outer wall 31 joined to the base plate by end walls 32-33. Between thesewalls .and the base plate is defined an oblong socket 34 in which the toe portion 25 on the corresponding latching bar is adapted to enga e.

It will be observed rom Figure 1 that the left-hand side of each socket wall 31 is notched out as indicated at 35 to enable the end of the toe portion 25 to be inserted in behind the right-hand side of the wall when the door 8 is swung to closed position. As shown in Figure 4, the inner side of the wall 31 angles obliquely to the base plate 27 so as to form a cam or wedge surface 36 inclined toward the base plate. The toe portion '25 of each latching bar has a correspondingly sloped cam surface 37 along its outer horizontal edge, which is adapted to slide inwardly along the cam or wedge surface 36 to force the door 8 home to closed position. From Figure 4 it will also be noted that the inner end corners of each toe portion are rounded, as indicated at 38, to facilitate the opening of the door.

For reinforcing the attachment of the lower keeper .to the sill rail 29, the base plate 27 thereof may be provided with an inwardly extending tongue 41 which is extended back across the sill rail in a slot cut in this rail. The rear end of this tongue has a drop lug portion 42 which seats in a recess in the sill rail and is apertured for receiving one or more fastening screws 4 The operation of the latching mechanism is substantially as follows: Assuming that the door is open and that it is desired to close and latch the same, the operating lever 21 is swung into or held out in a position substantially at right angles to the door, as

indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. This dotted line position shows the door slightly open, the guide 18 being also indicated in dotted lines corresponding to this position of the door. This position of the operating lever disposes the toe portions 25 transversely across the upper and lower edges of the door. The door 8 is then closed over the door 9 with the operating lever held sub-.

stantially in this position, as a result of which the toe portions 25 are presented to the notched-out recesses 35 of the keepers. The lever is now swung into the dotted-line position shown in Figure 1, which turns the toe portions in behind the wider portions of the walls 31. In pushing the lever back to a position substantially parallel with the door 9, the camming action of the toes tends to force the door 8 to closed position. The operating lever is now pulled down upon the pivot 22 into the full-line'position shown in Figure 1. This brings the toggle pivots into action and forces the two latching bars '15 and 16 upwardly and downwardly under all of the leverage available from this toggle action. A very effective purchase can be obtained on the lever at this time by virtue of this pulling motion. The outward forcing of the wedge surfaces along the wedge surfaces 36 of the keepers exerts very heavy pressure for forcing the door into closed position. It will be noted that because both latching bars have previously dropped as .far as they can go in their guides, the lower toe portion will be the first to engage its cam surface 36, and this cam surface will act in a measure as an abutment against which the remaining toggle motion reacts in forcing the upper toe portion upwardly against the cam surface 36 of the upper keeper.

In opening the door, the operating lever is first swung up to the dotted-line position shown in Figure 1. This .will retract the toe portions to positions where they can be withdrawn through the notched-out recesses 35. Thereafter the lever is swung outwardly to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. .This swings the curved ends 38 of the toe portions back against the base plates of the keepers and pries or cams the door open.

An eye 45 may be provided in the operating lever 21 for recelving a padlock or lead seal to be passed around the lower latching bar 16, or through a suitablehasp or apertured bracket.

I do not intend to be limited to the particular details herein shown and described, as my invention may be expressed by other combinations and arrangements of elements than the particular one herein described.

I claim:

1. In a closure latching device, in combination, fixed camming means on the receptacle to be closed, and latching means co-opcrating with sald first named means, rotatable to commence the latching operation and reciprocable to complete the same.

2. In car door latching means, bar supported for rotation and reciprocation, a keeper, laterally projecting means on said latching bar for engaging in said keeper, and operating means adapted to 1'0- tate and reciprocate said bar in the latching operation.

3. In car door fastener means, the combination of a latching bar, a keeper, and toggle meansfor actuating said latching bar, said latching bar being rotatable by said a latching toggle means.

4. In car door fastener means, the combination of a latching bar, a keeper, and toggle means for reciprocating said bar, said bar being rotatable in part of this latching movement. 1, i

5. In car door latching means, the combination of a pair of .latching bars supported for axial rotation, keepers. for said bars, laterally' projecting memberson the ends of guides, and a said bars for engaging in said keepers, and a lever havlng a pivotal connection to both bars. 37 of the toe portions 6. In car door latching means, the combination of a pair of latching bars, keepers for said bars, laterally projecting members on the ends of said latching bars for engaging in said keepers, and a lever having a pivotal connection to both bars, said bars being reciprocated through movement of said lever in one plane and being rotated through movement of said lever in another plane.

7. In car door latching means, the combination, of a pair of latching bars, keepers for said latching bars, guides for said bars, said bars being reciprocable and rotatable in said toggle lever pivotally connected to both of said bars.

8. In car door latching means, the combination of a pair of latching bars, guides therefor in which said latching bars are reciprocable and rotatable, keepers for said bars, and an operating lever for imparting endwise movement to said bars.

9. In car door latching means, the combination of a rotatable and reciprocable latching bar having a cam surface adjacent the end thereof, a latching abutment having a cam surface adapted to he engaged by the cam surface of said bar, and a toggle lever mechanism for rotatirig and reciprocating said locking bar.

1 0. In car door fastener means, the combination of a rotatable and reciprocable latching bar having a cam surface the end thereof, a latching abutment having a cam surface adapted to be engaged by the cam surface of said bar, and an operating lever for reciprocating and axially rotating said bar, therotation of said latching bar assisting in one of the movements of the door.

11. In car door latching means, the combination of a pair oflatching bars, toe portions on the ends of said bars, cam surfaces on said bars, keepers having cooperating cam surfaces, and operating means for reciprocating said bars to bring said cam surfaces into operation and for rotating said bars to move said toe portionsinto .and out of said keepers.

12. In car door latching means, the combination of a pair of latching bars, toe portions on theends of said latching bars, keepers and toggle mechanism for rotating said latching bars to project said toe portions into said keepers and to reciprocate said latching bars in said keepers.

13. In car door latching means, a pair of latching bars, toe portions extending laterally from said latching bars, cam surfaces on said latching bars, keepers having notched recesses for receiving said toe portions, and a toggle lever pivotally connected to both latching bars, said toggle lever being rotatable to rotate said latching bars and to present said toe portions to said notched recesses, said toggle lever also operating to reciprocate said cam surfaces insaid keepers.

14. In car door latching means, the combination of a pair of latching bars, toeportions projecting from said latching bars, keepers.- having cam surfaces therein and having notched recesses for receiving said toe portions, and a toggle lever pivot-ally connected toboth latching bars, said'toggle lever being rotatable for rotating said latching bars to present said toe portions to said notched recesses, said toggle lever being also operable to reciprocate said latching bars along the cam surfaces in said keepers.

15. In a closure latching device, in combination, fixed camming means on the receptacle to be closed, latching means co-operating with said first-named 'means rotatable to commence the latching operation and reciprocable to complete the same, and force multiplying means to reciprocate said latching means.

16. In a closure latching device, in combination, fixed camming means on the receptacle to be closed, latching means co-operating with said first-named means, rotatable to commence the latching operation and reciprocable to complete the same, and force mulneaassa v latching means.

'18. In a closure latching device, in combination, fixed camming means on the receptacle to be closed, latching means co-operating with said first-named means, rotatable to commence the latching operation, and reciprocable to complete the same, and self-lock- 19. In a closure latching device, in combination, fixed camming means on the receptacle to be closed, latching means co-operating with said first-named means, rotatable to commence the latching operation, and reciprocable to complete the same, self-locking force-multiplying means to rotate and reciprocate said latching means, and locking means for maintaining said mechanism in latched position. I

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 9th day of December, 1924.

GEORGE A. HULL.

, ing force-multiplying means to rotate and w reciprocate said latching means. 

